Noorani Qaida Lesson 1: Learn the Arabic Letters (Huroof-e-Mufradat)

Published · 7 min read

Lesson 1 of the Noorani Qaida is where every Quran reader begins. It is called Huroof-e-Mufradat (حروف مفردات), which simply means "single letters". Before a learner joins letters, adds harakat or reads a single word of the Quran, they first learn to recognise each Arabic letter on its own and say its name clearly. This guide walks through Noorani Qaida Lesson 1 step by step: what it contains, how to read each letter, which letters beginners mix up, and how to practise it at home. You can open Lesson 1 in our free interactive Noorani Qaida alongside this article and tap each letter as you read.

What is in Noorani Qaida Lesson 1?

Lesson 1 shows the letters of the Arabic alphabet one by one, written in their full, standalone shape. Most South Asian editions print them in this order:

ا ب ت ث ج ح خ د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ك ل م ن و ه ء ي

Some printed qaidas count 28 letters and some count 29. The difference is the hamza (ء). Many editions list hamza separately near the end, next to Yaa, and that is how our app shows it, so Lesson 1 here has 29 tiles. Neither count is "wrong"; it depends on whether hamza is treated as its own letter or as a form of Alif. If your child's printed qaida shows a slightly different order or count, simply follow the teacher's book.

At this stage there are no vowel marks (zabar, zer, pesh). The learner is not reading sounds like "ba" or "bi" yet. They are only learning each letter's name: Alif, Baa, Taa, Thaa, Jeem and so on.

The 29 letters and their names

Here are the letters as they appear in Lesson 1, with the names commonly used in Pakistan and India:

You will notice that English spelling cannot show every difference. There are two letters written "Haa" (ح and ه), two written "Taa" (ت and ط) and two written "Zaa" (ز and ظ). This is exactly why a qaida is learned by listening to a teacher and repeating, not only by reading transliteration.

How to read the letters correctly

The real goal of Lesson 1 is not just recognising shapes but saying each letter's name from its correct place in the mouth or throat (its makhraj). A few groups are worth knowing from day one.

Throat letters

Six letters are pronounced from the throat: ء ه ع ح غ خ. Hamza and Haa (ه) come from the deepest part of the throat, Ain and Haa (ح) from the middle, and Ghain and Khaa from the part nearest the mouth. Beginners often say ح like an ordinary "h" and ع like Alif. A teacher will correct this gently, and it is much easier to fix in Lesson 1 than years later.

Heavy letters

Seven letters are always read with a full, heavy sound: خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ. Teachers often remember them with the phrase خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ (khuṣṣa ḍaghṭin qiẓ). Compare light س (Seen) with heavy ص (Saad), or light ت (Taa) with heavy ط (Ṭaa). Saying these pairs one after the other is one of the best early exercises.

Letters with a similar sound

Some pairs sound close to an Urdu or English ear but are different letters in the Quran:

Letters that look alike

Many Arabic letters share one basic shape and differ only by dots. Lesson 1 places them side by side so the eye learns to check the dots every time:

A useful trick in our app is to open Lesson 1, tap ب, then ت, then ث, and say each name aloud. The highlight helps a child keep their place while their eye moves across the row.

Practising Lesson 1 at home

Short, regular practice works far better than one long session. A simple routine that many teachers use:

  1. Listen first. The teacher (or parent) reads one row slowly while the learner points at each letter.
  2. Repeat together. Read the same row together, then let the learner read it alone.
  3. Mix the order. Point to letters at random. If the learner can name a letter out of order, they really know it.
  4. Focus on pairs. Spend a minute each day on the look-alike and sound-alike pairs above.
  5. Stop on a success. End while the learner is still enjoying it, even if it has only been ten minutes.

There is no fixed number of days for this lesson. Some children are ready to move on within a week; others need longer. The rule of thumb is simple: move on when the learner can name every letter correctly, in any order, without help.

Using the interactive Noorani Qaida for Lesson 1

Our free interactive Noorani Qaida was built for exactly this kind of practice, at home or over a screen share in an online class:

If you are new to the Qaida as a whole, read our guide What Is Noorani Qaida? first for an overview of all the lessons.

What comes after Lesson 1?

Once the single letters are secure, Lesson 2: Huroof-e-Murakkabat teaches joined letters. Arabic letters change shape depending on whether they come at the start, middle or end of a word, and six letters (ا د ذ ر ز و) never join to the letter after them. Learners who know their single letters well find Lesson 2 much easier, because they are only learning new shapes for names they already know.

After that come the disjoined letters (Lesson 3) that open some surahs, and then Harakat (Lesson 4), where the learner finally begins reading sounds such as ba, bi and bu.

Common questions about Noorani Qaida Lesson 1

Should my child learn the letter names or the sounds first? In the Noorani Qaida method, Lesson 1 teaches the letter names. Sounds with vowels come in Lesson 4. Learning the names first gives learners a shared vocabulary with their teacher for every later lesson.

Why does my child's qaida have a different number of letters? Editions differ on whether hamza (ء) is counted as a separate letter, and some print Laam-Alif (لا) in the first lesson. The letters themselves are the same.

Can adults start from Lesson 1 too? Yes. Adults who learned to read as children often return to Lesson 1 to correct their pronunciation of throat and heavy letters. The lesson is short, and fixing makharij here improves every later lesson.

Is Lesson 1 enough to read the Quran? No. Lesson 1 is the foundation. The learner still needs joined letters, harakat, tanween, madd, sukoon and tashdeed before reading the Quran itself with a qualified teacher.

Ready to begin? Open Noorani Qaida Lesson 1 and tap the first letter, Alif.

Open the interactive Noorani Qaida →

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